The present invention relates to automated farming and more particularly relates to a fully automated robot tractor and unique rail system.
Agricultural farming consists largely of treating large plots of soil and the plants that grow in them. This treatment may include tilling, sowing, fertilizing, cultivating, dusting or spraying, and harvesting. These functions are commonly achieved with specialized machines either mounted to or pulled by, or an integral part of a man-driven machine. While this technique has been working well for over 100 years, and has been developed to a high degree of technological sophistication, an automated farming system would be more efficient and cost effective, and free the farmer for other tasks.
A variety of automated tractors have been disclosed by the prior art. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,186,493; 3,200,889; 3,324,593; 1,394,651 and 318,047. None, however, have met with widespread commercial success and the need for an efficient, economical robot tractor still exists. The present invention fulfills that need.